Health · Amherst

Amherst, NE health

Amherst differs from Nebraska on 9 of 40 measures. It has fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth (7% vs 12.4%) and fewer uninsured adults (6.3% vs 9.9%). Where it trails the state: more adults who have had cancer (9.9% vs 8.3%).

CDC PLACES 2025 · adults 18+ · CDC's estimate for Amherst
TownTapestry Health GradeNew

Not graded

Health Grades cover towns with 1,000 or more residents. CDC's estimates for a place of 272 people are less certain, so we show Amherst's figures without a grade.

Report card

How Amherst compares with Nebraska

Each theme counts how many of its measures are better, worse or too close to call against the state. Tap one to jump to it.

Chronic conditions

Out of every 100 Amherst adults…

35 of every 100 Amherst adults have high blood pressure
Nebraska: 33 in 100 · too close to call · margin 31.8–38.7%

Bars show Amherst; the black tick is Nebraska. Tap a condition to see it as people.

Habits

Everyday habits, side by side with the state

Amherst, betterAmherst, worseToo close to callNebraska
Get no exerciseshare of adults 21.7% Amherst
NE 24.3%
Sleep under 7 hoursshare of adults 30.7% Amherst
NE 31.3%
Binge drinkshare of adults 20.1% Amherst
NE 19.7%
Smoke cigarettesshare of adults 11.7% Amherst
NE 13.2%
0%10%20%30%40%
Care & screenings

Keeping up with care

Share of Amherst adults getting routine care. The full ring is 100%; the dark tick marks Nebraska.

78%
Yearly checkup
NE 76%
68%
Dentist visit
NE 64%
86%
Cholesterol check
NE 84%
66%
Colon screening
NE 62%
75%
Mammogram
NE 75%
80%
Taking BP meds
NE 78%
1 in 16
working-age adults has no health insurance
Amherst 6.3% · Nebraska 1 in 10 (9.9%)
Mind & connection

How Amherst adults are doing

1 in 4Amherst adults feel lonely
27.5% · Nebraska 29.3% · too close to call
1 in 6Amherst adults have been diagnosed with depression
17.8% · Nebraska 18.3% · too close to call
1 in 5Amherst adults lack social or emotional support
19.2% · Nebraska 20.5% · too close to call
1 in 7Amherst adults are in frequent mental distress
13.5% · Nebraska 14.1% · too close to call
Everyday needs

Making ends meet

Needs that shape health as much as any doctor visit: food, housing, utilities and a way to get around.

1 in 11
Amherst adults worry about having enough food
8.8% · NE 12.3% · better
1 in 14
Amherst adults worry about keeping their housing
6.9% · NE 9.5% · better
1 in 20
Amherst adults were threatened with a utility shut-off
4.9% · NE 6.4% · better
1 in 20
Amherst adults lack reliable transportation
5.1% · NE 6.7% · better

5.8% of Amherst adults receive SNAP (food stamps), compared with 8.5% across Nebraska.

Disability

Living with a disability

24.8%

of Amherst adults live with a disability (Nebraska 27.4%). Walking or climbing stairs is the most common.

Walking or climbing stairs11.2%
Thinking or memory10.7%
Hearing7.6%
Errands alone6.2%
Vision3.6%
Dressing or bathing2.9%

Black tick: Nebraska. Shown without a better/worse judgment.

Getting care

Care in and near Amherst

No hospital or community health center in Amherst itself. These are the nearest.

HNearest ERChi Health Good SamaritanKearney · 13.4 miDirections →
★Best rated nearbyKearney Regional Medical Center★★★★★ · 13.6 miDirections →
+Low-cost careHeartland Health CenterRavenna · 22.7 mi · sliding-scale feesDirections →
13.4 mi
Chi Health Good Samaritan
Kearney · ★★★★★
ER
13.6 mi
Kearney Regional Medical Center
Kearney · ★★★★★
ER
22.7 mi
Heartland Health Center
3 sites · nearest in Ravenna
Sliding-scale fees
Directions to nearest
25.8 mi
Lexington Regional Health Center
Lexington · not rated
ERRural critical access
29.2 mi
Kearney County Health Services Hospital
Minden · not rated
ERRural critical access
107.4 mi
East Central District Health Department/Good Neighbor Community Health Center
Columbus · community health center
Sliding-scale fees
! Primary careAmherst's county is a federal shortage area for some residents.Low-income residents, Central Nebraska · need score 14 of 25
✓ Dental careAmherst is not a shortage area
! Mental healthAmherst's county is a federal shortage area.Mental Health Catchment Area 3 · need score 12 of 25

Hospitals: Medicare overall star ratings, 1–5. Community health centers charge on a sliding scale by income. Distances are straight-line from the center of Amherst. Shortage areas: HRSA Health Professional Shortage Areas (a “population” designation covers specific residents, such as those with low incomes).

All 40 measures for Amherst
MeasureAmherstMarginNebraska
Chronic conditions
High blood pressure35.2%31.8–38.7%32.6%about the same
High cholesterol34.8%31.3–38.3%33%about the same
Obesity37.2%32–42.5%37.7%about the same
Arthritis26.6%23.8–29.6%24%about the same
Depression17.8%15.2–20.5%18.3%about the same
Lost all teeth (65+)7%5.6–8.6%12.4%better
Asthma9.4%8.3–10.5%9%about the same
Cancer (not skin)9.9%8.9–11.1%8.3%worse
Diabetes10.2%8.7–12%10.7%about the same
COPD6%4.8–7.4%6.1%about the same
Heart disease6.5%5.6–7.5%6.1%about the same
Stroke3.1%2.7–3.6%3.1%about the same
Habits
Smoke cigarettes11.7%9.1–14.6%13.2%about the same
Binge drink20.1%17.2–23.1%19.7%about the same
Get no exercise21.7%17.7–26.5%24.3%about the same
Sleep under 7 hours30.7%26–35.8%31.3%about the same
Care & screenings
Yearly checkup77.6%74.4–80.5%75.9%about the same
Dentist visit68%64.8–71.2%64.3%better
Cholesterol check86.2%83.8–88.2%83.7%better
Colon screening65.9%61.1–70.3%62.3%about the same
Mammogram74.8%67.6–81%75%about the same
Taking BP meds80.1%77.3–82.6%77.5%about the same
No health insurance6.3%4.7–8.5%9.9%better
Mind & connection
Feel lonely27.5%23.1–32.3%29.3%about the same
Lack emotional support19.2%15.8–22.9%20.5%about the same
Frequent mental distress13.5%11.6–15.4%14.1%about the same
Fair or poor health13.9%11.3–16.9%16.1%about the same
Frequent physical distress11.7%9.9–13.7%11.6%about the same
Everyday needs
Food insecurity8.8%6.4–11.5%12.3%better
Housing insecurity6.9%5.3–8.6%9.5%better
Utility shut-off threat4.9%3.9–5.9%6.4%better
No reliable transportation5.1%4.1–6.3%6.7%better
Receive SNAP5.8%4.1–7.8%8.5%
Disability
Any disability24.8%20.9–29.1%27.4%
Walking or climbing stairs11.2%9.1–13.5%12%
Thinking or memory10.7%8.9–12.6%12.1%
Hearing7.6%6.6–8.7%7.3%
Vision3.6%3.1–4.3%4.4%
Dressing or bathing2.9%2.4–3.5%3.2%
Errands alone6.2%5.1–7.3%6.9%
About these numbers

How CDC estimates town health

They're modeled estimatesCDC combines a large national health survey with each area's age, sex, race and income mix to estimate local rates. Nobody surveyed Amherst door to door.
Close calls stay grayEvery figure has a margin of error. When the Nebraska figure falls inside it, we don't call Amherst better or worse.
CDC's own town estimateCDC publishes Amherst directly, so these are its own figures.

CDC PLACES: Local Data for Better Health, 2025 release. The Nebraska figure combines its counties, weighted by adult population.

Health estimates: CDC PLACES. Hospitals and star ratings: Medicare Care Compare (CMS). Health centers and shortage areas: HRSA. Town boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau.

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Boundary source: https://tigerweb.geo.census.gov/arcgis/rest/services/TIGERweb/Places_CouSub_ConCity_SubMCD/MapServer/18 · 2025-01-01